porosive

Porosive is a term used in phonetics to describe a class of consonantal sounds produced with a complete occlusion of the vocal tract followed by a rapid release, which generates a brief burst of acoustic energy. In many descriptions these sounds are synonymous with plosives or stops. The defining feature is the momentary closure that momentarily stops the airstream, producing a burst upon release rather than a continuous airstream like fricatives or a nasal flow like nasal consonants.

Articulatorily, porosives are typically categorized by their place of articulation. Common places include bilabial (such as p and b), alveolar (t and d), velar (k and g), and glottal (ʔ). Some languages also feature stops at other locations, including palatal or labiodental varieties. All porosives share the property of an airstream interruption with a subsequent release, though the exact duration of the closure and the timing of the release can vary cross-linguistically. The release can be abrupt or slightly delayed, and the sound may be aspirated, unaspirated, or voiced depending on the language and phonation context.

Phonologically, porosives contrast with adjacent sounds in terms of voicing, aspiration, and timing cues such as voice onset time. They are a fundamental component of most world languages and function to distinguish a large number of phonemic contrasts. Etymology and usage vary; in some linguistic traditions the term porosive is used interchangeably with plosive, while others reserve porosive for particular descriptive emphases on abrupt release.

See also: plosive, stop consonant, oral occlusion, release burst.